Auto headlight switching apparatus



July 22, 1952 c. w. PFARR 2,504,555

AUTO HEADLIGHT swrrcamc APPARATUS Filed June '7, 1950 INVENTOR. CHARLES W. PFARR ATTORNEY Patented July 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,604,555 AUTO HEADLIGHT SWITCHING ArrAaATUs I Charles W. Pfarr, Baltimre,,Md. Application June 7, 1950, Serial N0. 166,596

(01. zoo-11) 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to switches and more particularly to those of the dim-bright types used for motor vehicles for controlling the head lights.

The electrical head-lights onmotor vehicles, when on full, are usually so severe on the eyes of persons coming towards them, as to hurt their eyes and make them partially blind. Becognizing this situation, laws have been passed in most States to the effect that the vehicles have to be equipped with switches that will alternately operate the lights to run on their bright filaments and dim filaments, and the latter to be used when close to an approaching vehicle coming in the opposite direction so as to make it less stressful on th driver thereof. The switch employed for this purpose is operated by the foot of the driver of the vehicle and when pushed places the switch definitely into contact with one circuit, and stays there of itself until it is pushed again and moved to another circuit. This is done by a ratchet mechanism in the switch. However it has been found, under present con ditions, that the dim lights should be more frequently in the circuit at night, than the brightlights. In order to assure the user that the lights will be definitelyon the dim lightcircuit during such time, the switch that is involved in this invention, is arranged to remain on one circuit, preferably th dim-circuit, when the switch is not held down on the bright circuit. The switch used in this invention eliminates the ratchet mechanism used in the previous type of switch and employs a mechanism that will automatically return the switching mechanism to the side of the switch that controls, for example, the low beam light circuit as soon as the other circuit to the high beam is opened through the raising of the operators foot from the switch button.

Th main object of the invention is to provide a new and improved two-way foot switch for the control of motor vehicle head-lights that will be in circuit on the selected side of the switch normally, and has to be held closed by an external manipulation on the other circuit as long as the latter is wanted, or it will automatically return to the normal circuit position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a head light foot switch for an automatic return to a definite circuit position at all times, unless forcibly held, connected to another closed circuit position, that will be simple in structure,

effective in action, and economical to manufacture.

Other objects will become apparent as the invention is more fully'described.

For a better understanding of the invention, and the objects thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of thisinvention by way of example, while the claims indicate the scope thereof.

Referringto the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail showing the operating mechanism of the switch in the body thereof;

Figure 5 is a detail of the switch blade mechanism, on line 5-5 of Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is a sectional detail of the contacts used in this embodiment viewed on line 6-8 of Figure 5.

Similar parts throughout the figures are designated by the same reference characters.

The drawings show afoot switch following the conventional form used for head-light control but modified to embody this invention. 'It consists of a floor board plate H, fiat and thin, and of rectangular outline. It has the conventional holes l0, threaded or otherwise, for the placing of fastening screws therethrough for attaching it to a floor board of a motor vehicle. A cylindrical casing I2 is attached to the upper side of the plate through the use of lugs 13, bent through the plate and swaged over underneath. A hole I4 is provided in the plate, in line with the center line of the casing, for a plunger 15, to reciprocate through. The lower end of the plunger has an enlarged head It attached to a sliding bent plate 22 which limits its upward movement by coming into contact with the board plate I I. The plunger I5 is surmounted by a cup-shaped cap l8 slidable for a short travel, on the upper exterior surface of the casing [2. It is held in place by a rivet It, securing the cap and plunger together. A coil spring 20 encompasses the plunger and normally presses the cap [8 outwardly.

The mechanism of the switch proper, is included in the shell H, which is attached to the plate I! in a conventional manner. The mechanism consists of a stamping or frame 2 I, of belllike form having projections 36, which support an insulated disc 25 having double-segmental members 24 on its front surface. The members 2 1 are rotatable with the disc 25 and each segment is bent or formed with a hump 26 to make contact with the circuit binding posts 21, 28, 29 and their connections mounted on insulated wall 31, so as to selectively bridge the line to 29 from either 2! or 28. The members 24 are rigidly head light switch ed o the Stamping 1 frame 2| Which the switch takes over when pressure is released rotatesinan oscillating manner on the pin 30. A from the cap l8 by the foot of the operator. pring 23 tensions the members 24 against t Previously it has been necessary for the operator binding posts. The pin 30 is rigidly fastened to to make a different movement of his foot to the shell l1, and is stationary. o the plunger every time he sought to change the The stamping 2! is rotated through its arcuate head-light lighting, and in many cases made the movement by the travel of a rigidly attached vane change wrongly. This is avoided in this invenelement 33 having radial blades 32 extending tion, and the necessary amount of operations refrom it. A protuberanc 34 is arranged on the quired of the operator are reduced to that reface of the sliding plate 22 so that when the latquired before. ter is propelled downwardly by the plunger l5, it While but one form of the invention is outwill hit the adjacent blade 32 and rotate the lined in this application for patent, it is not destamping 2! around about 60. This will carry sired to limit it to such construction as it is the members 24 with it so to make secondary appreciated that other structures could be decontact with the other or second circuit, that the signed and made that would employ the same switch controls. A slot 35 is cut into the plate principles and come Within the scope of the ap- 22 to enable it to move downwardly behind the pended claims. members 24, without interference from the pin Having thus describ 30. The plunger on being released allows the claimed is: spring to raise it vertically and move the pro- 20 An electric Switch unit Comprising a P r tuberance 34, so it will rise and rotate the vane rm n l nd a pair of distributing terminals, n

ed the invention, what is element backwardly from it n mal position, oscillatable contact member for selectively con- This will incidentally'return the member 24,1ikeetting either distributing terminal with the wise and contact the first binding post again. P terminal, a s lat isc Carryi g Said Thus as long as the plunger is down, th device Contact member, a frame hav n projections exwill close the secondary circuit at contact 28, but tending t r ugh said disc, a shell, a p rigidly when released will open that circuit and then r d o id h l nd e ten in thr u h said close the primary one at contact 21. It is not frame, a sprin Within the frame, mounted deemed necessary to explain tlle arrangement of around the p a p g havin o e end the circuits, but th diagram shown in Figur 3, abutting the disc, to constantly bias the contact will make this self explanatory, in this matter. member tOWaYdS the distributing t r a a The diagram shows the circuit wires 40, source mounting plate for the switch secured to said of pQwer 4| lamp m t 4g 43 dim and shell, and means for oscillating said frame on bright, with the connections to the binding posts said pin, including a van -carryin element atas indicated. tached to said frame, a plate slidable in said Th a n of attaching th parts together shell, said plate having an extension engageable follows conventional practice and need not be with the vanes 0f the V n a ry element to further detailed f r those kill in th t, oscillate said element when the plate reciprocates The plunger I5 is normally operated by the in pposi direc ionsuser, by pressing with his foot downwardly on 2. An electric switch unit as set forth in claim the cap l8, overcoming the resilient resistance further including a rec pro plunger a of the spring 20 and actuating the switch by tached 130 Said p and a Spring r moving moving the sliding plate 22 and segment memthe plun e! in o e direction. bers as described. This changes the flow of cur- R S W. PFARR. rent from one circuit to the other, which in this 45 i instance is from dim to bright filaments in the head lights. The plunger however cannot remain REFERENCES CITED down unless the extraneous pressure by the user The f01 1owmg rf'tferences are of record m the is continued on it. The removal of his foot file of thls patent causes the plunger to automatically rise and UNITED STATES PATENTS brings the switch around to its contact with the Number Name Date first circuit, and this incidentally energizes the 1908 205 Winning May 9 1933 dim circuit. The construction of the device is 2213625 Cumming; Sept 1940 simple and is compact in form. It leaves the 2231387 Jones Feb 1941 matter to the personal judgement of the user 2283630 Hm 1942 as to when he will use the secondary circuit,

, '78 but that of the primary circuit is a matter that 1 Bluemle 1942 

